Stranger Things Fans Take to the Sky with Hawkins Heli-Tours
Hawkins, Indiana doesn’t appear on any maps. Across four seasons, Stranger Things fans have had to guess at the town’s geography, catching only glimpses of the full picture. Until now...
As the story of Stranger Things nears its end, Microsoft Flight Simulator has teamed up with Boo Agency to launch its Stranger Things 5 expansion: a digital twin for Hawkins. Created in close partnership with Netflix, it turns the town into an immersive world for fans to explore.
Introducing: Hawkins Heli-Tours
Built on the insight that Stranger Things fans see Hawkins as a second home, Boo positioned the expansion as a long-awaited homecoming for fans. Launching an in- universe travel agency that was more than it seemed...
In collaboration with the Duffer Brothers and the MS Flight Simulator team led by JorgNeumann, the agency became an elaborate front for a smuggling operation
masterminded by fan favourite Murray Bauman, voiced by Brett Gellman.
The expansion introduces Hawkins Heli-Tours as a named mode in-game, complete with branded livery, and five daring reconnaissance flight path challenges, aptly named ‘Murray’s Missions’.
Boo’s campaign hero film, shot in one day and directed by The Lynch Brothers, blends live-action set builds, in-game capture, and a real UH-1 helicopter, immersing viewers in a scenic flight gone wrong. From the recreated agency office to CRT burn-in graphics and a grainy 4:3 aspect ratio, every frame is steeped in vintage texture.
The original jingle, written in-house at Boo by former songwriter-turned-ad creative Iain Littlemore and produced with Netflix Music Labs, completes the illusion in a nod to the tourism promos of the 1980s. A run of mayday-style supers directs viewers to call a local Indiana number, where a voicemail from Murray reveals a code to unlock a password protected 1980s CompuServe-style microsite and global sweepstakes for exclusive merch.
On the ground, the campaign was brought to life through a close collaboration with the Microsoft Experience Centre (MEC) and Spark Agency, in New York. Turning its second floor into an immersive Hawkins Heli-Tours travel agency, complete with a playable 4D helicopter simulator, retro tourism décor, and in-universe Easter eggs for fans to uncover. While a few blocks away, the Microsoft Cube in Times Square became a house sized CRT monitor, turning a three screen DOOH unit into a full 3D activation, broadcasting cryptic Heli-Tours content to the 350,000 daily passers by below.
From the skies to screens, the campaign finds its way into fan hands. Bing offers downloadable wallpapers that turn in-game locations into desktop postcards from Hawkins. On TikTok, a dedicated ‘RikTok’ account invites fans to duet the jingle in their own voice, remixing Hawkins first-ever anthem. On December 8th, an exclusive VIP event premiered the AV and opened the doors to the MEC experience, open throughout the holiday period for anyone eager to enlist.
Entirely organic and built for fandom, Hawkins Heli-Tours is the latest world-building launch from Boo, inviting players to experience this unique crossover between two iconic brands, and take to the sky for one hell of a ride.
